Automatic connections between application components

Abstract

One or more aspects of the subject matter described in this disclosure include identifying a first application component received by a running application, identifying a first automatically connectable connection for the first application component, selecting a second automatically connectable connection for a second application component, the second application component residing in the running application, and automatically connecting the first connection with the second connection so that information can be exchanged between the first application component and the second application component by way of the first connection and the second connection while the first application is running.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
 receiving information by a running application identifying a first application component, the first application component having a set of code including a first set of one or more class members that can be connected to a second set of one or more class members of a second application component; 
 identifying a first class member of the first application component based, at least in part, on a first metadata tag related to the first class member, the first class member being one of a sink and a source, wherein the first metadata tag includes a connection-order designation, which indicates an order in which the first class member should be ranked as compared to other class members of the first application component when determining whether first-class-member code of the first class member should be integrated with another class member; 
 automatically selecting a second class member for the second application component, the second application component residing in the running application, the second class member being the other of the sink and the source; and 
 connecting the first class member with the second class member by integrating code, which is executable to carry out the first class member, into a runtime environment of the running application, so that information can be exchanged between the first application component and the second application component. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1  where the running application is a first running application and the first application component is obtained from a second running application. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 2  where the first application component has a visual representation in the second running application. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 3  comprising:
 presenting the first application component's visual representation in the first running application. 
 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 2  where the first application component is obtained by the first running application from the second running application by a drag-and-drop operation of the first application component from the second running application to the first running application. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1  where the first application component is obtained from a file system. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein automatically connecting the first connection with the second connection creates a connection between the first application component and the second application component, and further comprising: persisting the connection between the first application component and the second application component. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1  where the information exchanged between the first application component and the second application component is textual. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first metadata tag includes a first parameter associated with the first connection and the second connection is related to a second metadata tag including a second parameter, and wherein the first parameter matches the second parameter in at least one of the following: the first parameter is synonymous with the second parameter or the first parameter is compatible with the second parameter. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first metadata tag include at least one of a first source parameter and a first sink parameter corresponding to the first connection being the one of the sink and the source and wherein a second metadata tag includes at least one of a second source parameter and a second sink parameter corresponding to the second connection being the one of the sink and the source. 
     
     
       11. A computer program product, encoded on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, operable to cause one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
 receiving information by a running application identifying a first application component, the first application component having a set of code including a first set of one or more class members that can be automatically bound to a second set of one or more class members of a second application component; 
 automatically identifying a first class member for the first application component based, at least in part, on a first metadata tag related to the first class member, the first class member being one of a sink and a source, wherein the first metadata tag includes a binding-order designation, which indicates an order in which the first class member should be ranked as compared to other class members of the first application component when determining whether the first class member should be programmatically bound to another class member; 
 automatically selecting a second class member for the second application component, the second application component residing in the running application, the second class member being the other of the sink and the source; and 
 automatically programming a persistent bound connection between the first class member and the second class member so that information can be exchanged between the first application component and the second application component by using an application framework. 
 
     
     
       12. The program product of  claim 11  where the running application is a first running application and the first application component is obtained from a second running application. 
     
     
       13. The program product of  claim 12  where the first application component has a visual representation in the second running application. 
     
     
       14. The program product of  claim 13  where the operations comprise: presenting the first application component's visual representation in the first running application. 
     
     
       15. The program product of  claim 12  where the first application component is obtained by the first running application from the second running application by a drag-and-drop operation of the first application component from the second running application to the first running application. 
     
     
       16. The program product of  claim 11  where the first application component is obtained from a file system. 
     
     
       17. The program product of  claim 11 , where the operations comprise: integrating code for running the first application component into the running application. 
     
     
       18. The program product of  claim 11  where the information exchanged between the first application component and the second application component is textual. 
     
     
       19. The computer program product of  claim 11 , wherein the first metadata tag includes a first parameter associated with the first connection and the second connection is related to a second metadata tag including a second parameter, the first parameter matches the second parameter in at least one of the following: the first parameter is synonymous with the second parameter or the first parameter is compatible with the second parameter. 
     
     
       20. The computer program product of  claim 11 , wherein the first metadata tag include at least one of a first source parameter and a first sink parameter corresponding to the first connection being the one of the sink and the source and wherein a second metadata tag includes at least one of a second source parameter and a second sink parameter corresponding to the second connection being the one of the sink and the source. 
     
     
       21. A system comprising:
 a machine-readable storage device including a program product; and 
 one or more processors operable to execute the program product, interact with a display device, and perform operations comprising:
 receiving information by a running application identifying a first application component, the first application component having a set of code including a first set of one or more class members that can be programmatically bound to a second set of one or more class members of a second application component; 
 automatically identifying a first class member for the first application component based, at least in part, on a first metadata tag related to the first class member, the first class member being one of a sink and a source, wherein the first metadata tag includes a binding-order designation, which indicates an order in which the first class member should be ranked as compared to other class members of the first application component when determining whether the first class member should be programmatically bound to another class member; 
 automatically selecting a second class member for the second application component, the second application component residing in the running application, the second class member being the other of the sink and the source; and 
 automatically programming a persistent bound connection between the first class member and the second class member so that information can be exchanged between the first application component and the second application component. 
 
 
     
     
       22. The system of  claim 21  where the running application is a first running application and the first application component is obtained from a second running application. 
     
     
       23. The system of  claim 22  where the first application component has a visual representation in the second running application. 
     
     
       24. The system of  claim 23  comprising:
 presenting the first application component's visual representation in the first running application. 
 
     
     
       25. The system of  claim 22  where the first application component is obtained by the first running application from the second running application by a drag-and-drop operation of the first application component from the second running application to the first running application. 
     
     
       26. The system of  claim 21  where the first application component is obtained from a file system. 
     
     
       27. The system of  claim 21  where programming the persistent bound connection includes integrating code for running the first application component into the running application. 
     
     
       28. The system of  claim 21  where the information exchanged between the first application component and the second application component is textual. 
     
     
       29. The system of  claim 21 , wherein the first metadata tag includes a first parameter associated with the first connection and the second connection is related to a second metadata tag including a second parameter, and wherein the first parameter matches the second parameter in at least one of the following: the first parameter is synonymous with the second parameter or the first parameter is compatible with the second parameter. 
     
     
       30. The system of  claim 21 , wherein the first metadata tag include at least one of a first source parameter and a first sink parameter corresponding to the first connection being the one of the sink and the source and wherein a second metadata tag includes at least one of a second source parameter and a second sink parameter corresponding to the second connection being the one of the sink and the source.